Dame Irene Hays advocates for AI in the travel industry, highlighting its benefits for staff and customers.
- AI is used to identify at-risk young employees based on email keywords, ensuring their safeguarding.
- The technology aids in strategically presenting holiday ideas to potential customers during decision-making moments.
- AI combined with emotional intelligence enhances the customer journey by providing timely, relevant suggestions.
- Hays Travel integrates tech, using insights to tailor customer interactions and training apprentices for future trends.
Dame Irene Hays champions the transformative potential of artificial intelligence within the travel sector, focusing on its dual benefits for employees and customers. She emphasises that AI can help identify young staff members potentially at risk by analysing email communications for certain key phrases, effectively enhancing safeguarding measures. This approach aligns with Ofsted requirements, given Hays Travel’s commitment to training apprentices, and aims to protect their well-being while fostering a safe work environment.
Additionally, the application of AI extends to customer engagement, where it aids in presenting holiday ideas effectively to customers who are in the process of planning their trips. The integration of AI and emotional intelligence promises to revolutionise the customer experience, allowing for the introduction of travel ideas at the most opportune moments. This strategic use of technology ensures that customers receive proposals when they are most likely to consider new travel options.
Hays Travel collaborates with a technology firm, utilising data analytics to ascertain and target when a client is most open to receiving travel suggestions. Whether enjoying a late-night cup of cocoa or browsing leisurely on a Sunday morning, AI pinpoints the perfect time to introduce potential holiday plans.
Dame Irene elaborates on the significance of apprenticeships within the agency, noting that these young professionals are integral to maintaining the business’s vitality. Apprentices bring new energy and familiarity with emerging digital trends, keeping the company adaptable and forward-thinking. This dedication was recently highlighted during a long-service ceremony, celebrating staff with decades of service, many of whom began as apprentices.
The conversation also touches on her personal journey, sharing anecdotes from her working-class upbringing and the groundwork of Hays Travel. Notably, her late husband John Hays, initially faced with a career choice between being an undertaker or a travel agent, opted for the latter, founding the company in 1980. The agency has since grown substantially, acquiring Thomas Cook’s locations following its collapse.
Dame Irene openly discusses the challenges faced upon her husband’s passing in 2020, remarking on her unyielding commitment to the business. She credits work with providing a therapeutic outlet, underscoring the importance of resilience and dedication in difficult times. These reflections offer a poignant insight into the personal and professional fortitude required to steer a major company through challenging periods.
Artificial intelligence, as championed by Dame Irene Hays, is positioned as a crucial tool in enhancing both employee welfare and customer engagement within the travel industry.
